Knitted fabric



Dec. 3, 1935. v. LOMBARDI 2,023,371 y KNITTED FABRIC Original Filed Oct. 18, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l IW/llllllllmlllllllnlm'm gulluunmumwlr /NVEN TOR l//NcENT LOMBARDI BV ATTORN'V Dec. 3, 1935. v LOMBARD| 2,023,371

KNITTED FABRIC Original Filed Oct. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w49 65 mmlj|w-l mi I im; wf .f1/rml 70 6424 In ml 83 F/a 77j Html, in @o mmm/fg?? @n/mm immuni' g ,l mmm A7' ORA/EV 5 www.

Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to Lombardi Knitting Machine C Inc., New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application October 18, 1933, Serial No.

694,042. Divided and this application December 10, 1934, ySerial No. 756,741

11 Claims. (Cl. 66-201) This invention relates to knitted fabrics particularly of the type employing yarn of different characteristics in producig pattern effects and wherein certain yarns in certain portions of the fabric are concealed behind loops of other yarn. It constitutes a division of my Patent 2,002,271 on Knitted fabrics.

An object of the invention is'to provide improved and novel pattern effects on the rear side of the fabric suitable to be used as the exposed side of a garment manufactured therefrom.

In one form of the invention one or more suc'- cessively fed yarns form loops in contiguous wales and rows and in the section so formed subsequently fed yarns are passed easily behind said wales; the loose yarns in turn forming regular loops in a plurality of contiguous wales and rows with those yarns which knitted in the first section being passed loosely behind the loops of this second section. It is also preferable in one or more wales of each section to tie in one or more of the loose yarns in one or more wales, as

by interlocking for example, between two loops in adjacent rows. Such a bunching of the loose yarns when applied at various points in the fabric produces an embroidery effect which renders the reverse side of the fabric desirable as the exposed `side of a garment manufactured therefrom.

fabric of the type of Fig. l;

` Fig. 3 is a schematic of the rear of a fabric somewhat like Fig. 1 except that one 'color only forms loose yarns while the other color yarns knit in all wales;

Fig. 4 gives the general rear appearance of a fabric of the type of Fig.,1;

Fig.- 5 is the general appearance, rear view, of a fabric of the type of Fig. 3;

Fig.` 6 is a schematic showing of a fabric of the type of Fig. 4 but arranged to produce a bias effect of thestriping;

as in Fig. 6 also reverse side;

Fig. 8 represents various possible treatments of the yarn bundleson the rear of the fabric;

Fig. 9 is an alternative to the arrangements of Fig. 8 and a further development of a -part of Fig. 8; 5

Fig. 10 represents how the rear yarn bundles may-be treated to form pleats in the front of the fabric; and

Fig. 11` is an edge viewof the fabric of Fig. 10.

' Referring particularly to Fig. 1 the reverse side l0 of a knitted fabric is shown in which yarns of two colors are employed, each color being fed into the fabric four yarns at a time, the groups of each color alternating with groups of the other color. Thus yarns I to 4 are of one color and yarns 5 15 to 8 are of a second color. Each of the yarns I to 4 forms a row of loops in ve wales of section B but does not form any front loops in section'A; and each of the yarns 5 to 8 forms a row of loops in ve Wales in section A but not in section B. Yarn groups 9 and I0 are of the same color and form loops in section B; yarn groups' I I, I2, and I 3 are of the second color and form loops in section A. It should be noted that the order in which these yarn groups were fed into the fabric are first 25 group II followed in the order named by groups 9, I2, I0, I3. Each of the yarn groups 9 and I0 forms no front loops in section A butv each group lies in the rear of the fabric and is tied together as a bundle at the points I6 and I'I by being 30 caught in an intermediate Wale of section A be.

tween the upper part of the loop in one row and the lower part ofthe loop in an adjacent row. Similarly each of the yarn groups I I, I2, I3 forms no front loops in section B but lies in the rear of the fabric, each group'being tied together as a bundle -in one wale of section B in the manner previously described. i I The unique effect produced by such a fabric is more pronounced when :each successive group comprises several yarns and each group in its knitting section knits in several successive wales. It should be noted that the usualyarn connectors are missing between the adjacent wales of sections A and B since wales I4 and I5 are not directly45 connected as in the usual knitting as will be apparent upon inspection. 'I'he vfront of such a fabric is shown in Fig. 2 where sections A and B are designated as in Fig` 1. Section A comprises loops of only one color and section B loops of only the second color. Since each group knitted in section A passes to the rear of section B and leach group-knitted in section B passes .to the rear of `section A an unique' pattern effect is produced at the dividingv line between sections 56 A and B, where each group of one color is tucked in under loops of the other color. That is, there are loose edges formed along the side of. each stripe but not in such a manner as to permit unraveling or destruction of the fabric.

It is of course to be understood that if desired the groups 9 to I3 inclusive of Fig. 1 may all be of the same color but knitted in the same manner as if a striped fabric were desired. One section such as section A may be of a smaller number of Wales than the other section B but it is preferable that at least one of the sections should be at yleast five wales wide in order to produce the proper pattern effect.

The character of the fabric of Fig. 3 may be readily explained by comparison with Fig. 1. In Fig. 1 groups 9 and I0 form loops in section B but not section A and groups II to I3 form loops in section A but not section B. Fig. 3 is the type of. knitting which would result if all groups 9 to I3 formed loops in section A and only groups 9 and I0 formed loops in section B, so that there would be loose yarns behind section B but not section A.

We may assume that Fig. 3 is the reverse side of a single color fabric in which at definite but irregular intervals six successively fed yarns are unlooped behind loops of other yarns for several wales, the said six yarns being caught in an interlocking manner at one or more points in each unlooped portion. Thus the six yarns from yarn 20 to yarn 2| do not form front loops between wales 22 and 23 but lie in the rear of the fabric behind the loops of yarn fed previously to yarn 20. In each of the wales 24 and 25 the six loose yarns are tied or interlocked between the upper part of one loop and the lower part of `an adjacent loop. In the lower part of Fig. 3 the loose yarn sections and the tying-in points for the loose yarns are staggered with respect to the corresponding parts just described. Thus in Wale 23 at the point 21 six loose yarns are interlocked, which yarns do not form loops between wales 26 and 28. Still farther down and to the right six other loose yarns are similarly interlocked at the point 30 in Wale 28. Another tying-in point for six loose yarns is shown at point 3 I Thus the sections of the fabric having loose yarns can be staggered in accordance with a preconceived pattern which will be correspondingly followed by the tying-in points. It is to be noted that in Fig. 3 some of the yarns as yarns 34, 35, 36 form loops in all wales throughout the fabric and form no loose yarns in the rear. This may be true ofv as many of the yarns as desired. That is the fabric may comprise several successively fed yarns which knit in all wales, followed by several successively fed yarns which are unlooped in a certain section, and followed by several successively fed yarns which are unlooped in a different section.

The general appearance of the rear of a fabric of the type of Fig. 1 is shown in Fig. 4 where sections C and D represent looped yarns of one color (white) and sections E and F represent looped yarns of a second color (black'for example). The white stripe C is narrower than white stripe D. In white stripe C each bundle of black yarns is interlocked in only one Wale as at the point 40 while in stripe D each black yarn bundle is interlocked in two spaced wales as at points 4I. In the black stripe E each white yarn bundle is interlocked in the fabric in one Wale near the center of. the stripe. wales wide and stripe `D ten wales wide. Fig. 5 shows the general appearance of the rear ofthe fabric of the type WIWI@ the loose 'I'hus stripes C and E may be five yarn groups of Fig. 3 are staggered in a desired fashion. The loose yarns extending over a variable number of wales are shown in relief on the white background which is assumed to be the regularly looped portion of the fabric. It is of 5 course understood that one may use the side of the fabric having the loose yarns as the outside of a garment manufactured therefrom. The general effect of. such a pattern as in Fig. 5 is similar to hand embroidery Work superimposed upon a l0 knitted fabric. It will be obvious that the features of Fig. 5 can be carried out with yarn of more than one color where for example the loose yarns are all of one color on a knitted fabric of a contrasting color or the various bundles of loose l5 yarns may be of different colors as may be desired. There is a peculiar and desirable distortion when the features of Fig. 3 are applied to a fabric in which a group of successively fed yarns of one color alternate with a smaller group of succes- 20 sively fed yarns of a second color when only one color forms loose yarns and the wales for the loose yarn portions are staggered in only one direction diagonally across the fabric. We have this exemplified in Fig. 6 where each group of one 25 color consists of four yarns and each group of the other color has two yarns. This results in an exaggerated slanting effect as shown. The character of the slanting effect in Fig. 6 will be understood by noting that between the blocks A 30 and D of the same color one will nd ten wales While between blocks B and C there are only four wales:hence the slanting effect illustrated. In Fig. 6 the heavy yarns may be of one color and the lightly drawn lines may represent yarns of 35 a second color. Each looped portion of a :ingle color when considered across the fabric slopes upwardly from left to right and then the unlooped portions of said single color slope downwardly until they begin to form loops again when 40 they start another upward slope. In the particular portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 6 only the heavy yarns have unlooped portions, the lightly drawn yarns looping in all wales. Thus yarns 45 to 48 beginning at the left of the figure 45 form regular loops in eight successive wales and then pass to the rear of the fabric where they are unlooped for ten successive wales between Wales 49 and 50, loosely lying on the rear of the fabric except in Wale 5I where the said four 50 yarns are tied in or interlocked between loops of the other color yarn in the manner shown in previous figures. The other groups of four yarns are also unlooped in a slightly different series of wales so that the portions of the fabric contain- 55 ing unlooped yarns of the color of yarn 45 form a stripe which is noti vertical but inclined to the right as one proceeds downwardly from the top of the figure. The general appearance of a fabric made in accordance with Fig. 6 is shown in Fig. 7. 60 The tucked-in groups of loose yarns form a slanting conflguration from top to bottom, while the stripes across the fabric between the loose yarn portions are also in a slanting path. It is obvious that the number of yarns in each stripe 65 shown in Fig. '7 may be any desired number and may vary in different portions of the fabric if desired.

Figures 8, 9 and l0 show special treatment of the loose yarn bundles on the rear of the fabric 70 to create a variety of desirable pattern effects bearing in mind that the rear of the fabric may be the exposed side in garment manufactured therefrom.

Fig. 8 schematically represents the rear of a 75 two color fabric when one color yarn knits in every Wale several rows at a time and where the second color yarn knits for `several wales and the loop formed by group 93 and then is tied into' of the second color yarn in a plurality of rows and Wales. The second color yarn forms loose crossing yarns between adjacent blocks as the group of yarns 62 lying in therear of loops of the first color yarn. This group62 is tied into loops of the first yarn in the same manner as in` Fig. 1 except in a row of loops formedy several rows later than the row of loops of the first yarn that immediately follows the last fed yarn of group 62.' The tying-in point for this group is at the point 63.

Another group 64 of the loose yarns of the second color yarn is tied-in twice in a much later row of the first yarn loops as at the points 65, 66. Still another group 61 of the loose yarns of the second color is not only tied into loops of the first yarn, at points 69, 10 in a-subsequent rowv and in wales between the blocks of loops 83, 84 of the rst yarn, but the said group after forming loops in block 84 is bent back to be tied into loops of the flrst yarn at the point 68 in a Wale corresponding to a Wale of block 84. This tends to accentuate the separ-ation between the last wale of loops in block 84 and the first Wale of loops of the rst yarn so as to leave a hole in the fabric at the point 19, the hole constituting a part of the pattern effect.

Still another group 1| of loose yarns in Fig. 8 between loop blocks 85, 86 is not only tied into the loops of the other color in Wales between blocks and 86 but is also bent back to be tied into the fabric in a roW above block 85 and in aA row above block 86, thereby forming two holes in the fabric at the points 80, 8| in the manner previously described. Still another type of pattern effect is shown in connection With groups 16, 11 of loose yarns in which the group 16 is not tied into lthe fabric of the first color yarn but group 11 is tied in at the point 18- in a row of the first color yarn formed after the knitting of the loop rows connected by loose yarns 16 and the group 11 in reaching the tying-in point'passl to the rear of loose yarns 16. The various effects shown in Fig. 8 may be used in the same or differf ent fabrics. g Y

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of a modification of Fig. 8 with respect to the manner in which the loose yarns are tied into the fabric and in particular it is a modification of the arrangement of groups 16, 11 of that figure. The white background in Fig. 9 is the looped fabric proper and includes both color yarn as in Fig. 8. As in all figures the lowermost part represents the first forned portion of the fabric. Group 90 may be the upper part of loose yarns tied into the first yarn loops at two separated points 9|, 92 in a subsequent row much as in group 64 Fig. 8. The next group 93 of the loose yarns of the second color before being tied in are pulled through the loop formed by group 90 so that group 93 passes to the rear of the upper section of group 90 and then is tied intol the first color loops at points 94, 95. Similarly group 96 passes through the fabric and so on for the rest. of the fabric.

it will be readily apparent that group 91 could be pulled through lcop 98 and fastened in the same manner as the others.

In Figs. 8 and 9 it is to be noted that une bundles vof yarns in the rear of the fabric such as group 5 64 Fig. 8 are loose enough, that is the yarns are of sufficient length not to pull the looped fabric together or to pinch it by reason of the irregular path taken by the groups because of the points chosen for their tying-in points. l0

However inFig. 10 the loose yarns for one color yarn are restricted in length so as to pinch the looped portion in front of them. Another difference is that in Figs. 8 and 9 only one color yarn forms the bundles of loose yarns While in` l5 Fig. 10 both color yarns produce the looseyarn bundles.

Referring now to Fig. 10 the rear of the fabric shown therein is of two colors in which both colors in the left hand portion form loose yarns, 20 one colo-r yarn with sufficient length not topinch the fabric but for the other color the loose yarns are short enough to pinch the fabric, although the illustrated loop formation is the primary cause of the bulging disclosed. .Thus the groups such as 25 |00, I0| are like the bundles inl Fig. 4, substantially straight, tied in at two points in the loops of the second color yarn. Each bundle |00, |0| comprises severaly yarns, six or eight for example and these bundles are of sufficient length that they 30 l do not pinch the looped fabric in front of them. The bundles at the left such as bundle |05 are of the same color. The yarns which are in loose bundles in section |02 form regular loops in the front of the fabric in sections |03 and |04, but 35 'the regular loop wales in these two sections are pinched together so as to form pleats or Verticallridges in the front of the fabric separated by valleys. Thus in section |03 the yarns which form regular loops in sections |02, |06 are un- 40 looped in the ordinary sense and form interconnected bundles of yarns such as bundle I II in the same manner as in Fig. 7 except that each bundle may be tied into the front regular loops in only one point. Each bundle in section |03 is. tied in a 4.3 row considerably above its normal position giving a loop formation so that the pulling up of each bundle to its intermediate interlocking point causes the regularly looped portion to bulge out as shown in Fig. l1 (a cross-section of Fig. l0) .C3 Where portion |I0 is the regularly looped but bowed out portion of section |03 Fig. 10 and character represents one of the loose yarn bundles of that section. Section |04 is similar to section I 03 except that both color yarns form in turn `5` 'a vertical row of loose yarn bundle loops as in section |03. That is the row H5 of loose bundle loops is made up of yarn which forms the regular front loops in section |02 while the regularvfront loops in front of bundles I5 are yarn which forms C0 bundles IOI, etc. in section |02. The two color yarns are in reverse position in roW ||6, roW ||1 is the same as row ||5, and so on. Thus in front of the fabric of Fig. 10 We have vertical pleats of jersey stitches separated by flat jersey por- 65 tions such as section |02 when desired. In the rear of the fabric the loose yarns may fo-rm substantially straight bundles as in'section |02 or theyv may be interconnected to form a chain of loops of the yarn bundles as in'Fig. 9 except 70 vpinching the fabric to form -the pleats. 'I'he arrangement of Fig. 10 may of course be applied equally well to more than two color yarns.

While this invention is directed to the fabric rather than to its method'of manufacture it is 75 thought advisable to refer in general terms to the needle manipulation required to produce this invention, although such will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the drawings and foregoing description. Thus let us assume a row of needles all holding loops in retracted position and, proceeding in the direction of the movement of a yarn carrier, groups of needles are separated out from other groups of needles in accordance with a prearranged pattern, the separated groups raised to full advanced position and the other groups left fully retracted.

The yarn carrier passes and the needles in the separated groups knit; but the yarn passes in a straight path over the retracted groups of needles. In a well known manner, as by sinkers, these loops and the straight yarn are pushed back with the fabric to thereafter permit any needle or groups of needles to be advanced.

Thus in case the yarn in the next yarn carrier is to repeat the pattern just set up on the needles the same groups of needles will be separated out and caused to knit another row of loops, and the yarn will again pass over the retracted needles, which still retain the original loops. This may be repeated a number of times, and while the loops continue to form in the selected and separated groups, the loose yarns over the continuously retracted groups will be crowded together between the fabric held by these groups and the sinkers to form bundles. After say four or six yarns have been thus bundled and by the sinkers are being pushed back over the top of the needle cylinder and when all needles have been fully retracted, the formerly continuously retracted groups of needles (or parts of them, according to the prearranged pattern setting) may now be separated out and advanced in front of the bundles to receive the next lyarn and cause it to form loops with the original loops retained by these needles until now, this knitting continuing the fabric formerly produced by these groups in a uniform manner as far as the front of the fabric is concerned; and this knitting may be further continued without disturbance from the loose yarns on the back of the fabric which now have passed over the top of the needle cylinder. During this procedure the formerly selected groups may of course be held in fully retracted position to permit the formation of bundles of loose yarns, or they partake in the knitting, so that all needles will be producing straight jersey cloth.

When it is desired to tie the loose yarns, whether they are single yarns or bundles, into the fabric proper by interlocking in accordance with my U. S. Patent No. 1,426,576, a needle within the idling groups is selected for each such tie and separated out by a prearranged pattern setting at the same time the selection is made of the active needle groups; these tie needles by special provision, as by special butt configuration, are advanced to-an intermediate position when the active needles are moved to the fully advanced position, and thus Will receive the loose yarns without casting the original loops or such loose yarns which are held under the hook. The tie needles may thus be retracted and advanced simultaneously with the active needles without formation of loops and receive at each advancement a loose yarn. When a bundle has been formed the tie needles will partake inthe movements of the formerly idling needles with which they are grouped. Thus inthe first movement to fully acll vanced position the tie needle will cast its original loop as well as the bundled yarns, and the other needles of these groups will advance in front of the bundled yarns which are being held back by the sinker action and will cast their loops; the next yarn thus will knit on all these needles, the loop on each tic needle passing down through the semi-loop formation of the yarn bundle, and the yarn bundle thereafter passing on into the fabric interlocked within the interlooping portions of the original loop and the newly l formed loop, as described for a single yarn in my above mentioned patent. Thereafter the tie needles operate with their associated needles to form regular jersey stitches.

In the above description of the various figures l5 it has been convenient to de:cribe differently treated yarns as being of different colors. Such however is not essential as they may be different in some other characteristics such as texture, material or size,-silk or wool yarns, heavy and thin 20 yarns, etc. It is of course to be understood that if desired the differently treated yarns may have identical characteristics, the varied treatments merely giving a pattern effect in a fabric of a single color. 2.)

What is claimed is:

1. A knitted fabric comprising yarn knitted into loops in a plurality of Wales and rows, said fabric comprising a plurality of sections parallel to a Wale one of said sections of said fabric comprising a group of consecutively fed yarns knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive wales and in a plurality of rows, a second yarn group of consecutively fed yarns fed into the fabric after said first group and knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive Wales and in a plurality of rows in a second of said sections of the fabric adjacent the first section, a third of said sections adjacent said second section comprising said first group knitted into reg- 4T) ular front loops in more than two successive Wales and in a plurality of rows, said first yarn group lying loosely behind the loops in said second section at least for a plurality of adjacent wales without forming any front loops in said second section, a plurality of the yarns of said first group being interlocked together. as a unit in the rear of .the fabric between loops of two adjacent rows in a Wale of said second section.

2. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 50 in which said second group of yarns in a fourth of said sections adjacent said third section are knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive Wales and in a plurality of rows, a plu: rality of yarns of said second group being interlocked together as a unit in the rear of the fabric between loops of two adjacent rows in an intermediate Wale of said third section.

3. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 in which each of said groups comprises more than two consecutively fed yarns, each yarn in said first group forming front loops in said first section in the same number of Wales to give a sharp line of division between thejfirst and second sections, all of the yarns of said first group being interlocked together as a unit in the rear of the fabric between loops in two adjacent rows in one Wale of said second section.

4. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 in which all of the yarns of said first group are interlocked in a second Wale of said second section between loops of two adjacent rows, said second Wale being spaced a, pluralityl of Wales from said one Wale where the first specied interlocking occurs for the yarns of lsaid first group.

goeden 5. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 in which said second group comprises yarns knitted into loops in more than rtwo successive rows, the specified interlocking insaid second section for the yarns of said first group being centrally located wtih respect to the top and bottom of said second section.

6. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 in which said first and said second yarn groups have the same number of yarns. v

'7. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 1 in which the last Wale of said rst section is composed exclusively of loops of said first yarn group and the first Wale of the second section immediately adjacent the said last Wale of the first section is composed exclusively of loops of said second yarn group, the yarns from4 the Iloops in said last'wale passing behind the loops in said first Wale and the yarns from the loops in said first wale passing behind said last Wale whereby said first "and last Wales are not directly connected together in the usual manner of knitting.

8. A knitted fabric comprising yarn knitted into loops in a plurality of wales and rows, one section of said fabric comprising a group of more than two consecutively fed yarns knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive wales and in more than two rows, a second section immediately adjacent said first section and comprising a second group of more than two consecutively fed yarns knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive wales and in more than two rows, a third section immediately adjacent said second section and comprising said first yarn group knitted into regular front loops in a plurality of wales and rows, certain rows of said second and third sections being continuations of rows in said first section, the yarns of said second group being fed into the fabric after the yarns of the first group, a third group of more than two consecutively fed yarns knitted into regular front loops in more than two successive wales and in more than two rows both in said first section and in said third section, said 5 third group being fed into the fabric after said secondgroup, a fourth yarn group of consecutively fed yarns fed into the fabric after said third group and knitted into regular front loops in a plurality of wales and rows in said second sec- 1o tion, said rst and third yarn groups lying loosely behind the loops in said second section at least for a plurality of adjacent wales without forming any front loops in said second section, said yarns ofy said firstgroup being interloeked together as l5 a unit in the rear of the fabric between loops of l two adjacent rows in a wale of said second section.

9. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 8 in which the yarns of said first group are inter- 26 locked together as a unit in the rear of the fabric between loops of said fourth yarn group in two adjacent rows in a Wale of said second section.

10. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 8 in which in said second section the yarns of said 25 first group pass behind the yarns of said third yarn group and are held in such position by interlocking between adjacent loops of a Wale in said second section.

11. A knitted fabric in accordance with claim 8 30 in which all the loose yarns of said rst group in said second section are interlocked together as a unit in the rear of the fabric betweeny loops of two adjacent rowsy in a wale such that said loose rst group yarns are partially folded back on 35 said rst section to leave an enlarged aperture in the fabric several rows long and uncrossed by anyI yarn. l

VINCEN'I` LOMBARDI. 

